Sadly, none of Santa's many elves live in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, but
they do make sure that the jolly fellow vists on Christmas Eve when everyone is fast asleep.
Here is the Santa Tracker* which may show you just how close he is to your house tonight:
http://www.google.com/santatracker/#/village/* The tracker works best in Chrome.You can also track Santa here.For all the children in Austalia here is Santa's flight plan for tonight.....http://youtu.be/u7JLVBnqIbo

Sunday, 23 December 2012

Residents of Brooms Head say, "Enough is enough" in a letter to the editor of The Daily Examiner.

Road kill appalling Plenty of well-meaning
people work hard to address the impact of Brooms Head Road traffic on our
wildlife. National Parks keep count of emu numbers; WIRES repairs
victims; some attach tracking devices; and, occasionally, The DailyExaminer reminds
us how warm and fuzzy are emu chicks. But none of this reduces the
appalling road kill. Eighteen months ago my wife
and I concluded a series of letters to The Daily Examiner and The Coastal Views about the
level of the road kill on the 20km stretch between Brooms Head and
Maclean, but the killing continues. I recently
presented photos of wildlife killings on that road to The Daily Examiner: roos,
wallabies, wallaroos, possums, echidnas, various reptiles and a wide
variety of birds. The reporter wasn't interested except to
wonder why I cared. I said that if I were hit, it
would hurt me as much as if I were an emu or goanna. I asked if, in the
scheme of things, an emu has a less-important right to seek a pain-free
life than I do; that while I use its natural land, should deadly
confrontation be inevitable; that while I possibly think quicker than
the emu, does it give me a greater right to destroy it - or am I
ethically obliged to care for the less able? Should my code of behaviour
be based on the levels of difference between the surrounding wildlife
and me and, if so, how should it be expressed caringly or non-caringly?
If conflict between "unequal" species is okay, what about between
members of our species? Should we excuse killing one another on roads.
If not, why not? While it seemed my reporter
preferred to pursue the warm and fuzzy approach, bosses/authorities who
don't make decisions can have devastating effect. Reducing this
20km trip to mostly 80km/h all the way certainly increases the time by
three minutes but allows that bit extra for sharper navigation and
avoidance on a road where highway speed (and often more) simply invites
collision. The administrative inaction shows poor duty of care.
It's a little similar to the carelessness surrounding that
thoughtless message recently allowed through to nurse Saldanah in
London. K.GieseBrooms Head

* Biggest under the radar problem for Federal Labor in 2013 - Robert John "Bob" Carr.

* Most troublesome MP for Federal Liberal Party in 2013 – Anthony John "Tony" Abbott.

* Most likely political scandals next year –

Abbott’s
political plotswho knew of James Ashby's plans and who funded his court case

the relationship between past and present MPs or their advisers and mining companies operating in New South Wales

super
trawlers in Australian watersNSW Health performanceCardinal George Pell if his congregation don't manage to gag him during the Federal Government royal commission into child sexual abuseThe Australian newspaper's rightwing shenanigans

Saturday, 22 December 2012

Sortius is a Geeksent this email below to the Department of Parliamentary Services on 18 December 2012. The next day Sortius alleged his website was being blocked so that staff at Parliament House could not read his opinions concerning Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

My name is Kieran Cummings & I write for Independent Australia (& my own blog) about technology & politics.

I recently wrote an article in regard to the press release offered by Tony Abbott’s office regarding James Ashby’s case against Peter Slipper. During my investigation I have uncovered quite a lot of information about the PDFs & when they were produced.

Yesterday I was contacted by journalists to advise that DPS had made a statement in regard to when the PDFs were produced. I feel this statement raises more questions than it answers & I would like to get some more information from DPS on this.

What are “technical staff” using to determine when the files were created/converted to PDF? Are you monitoring every computer on the network & all file creations/accesses?

How is it possible for APH’s computers/servers to run on a time zone outside AEST/AEDT? To my knowledge this will cause all sorts of problems with appointments, logs, etc.

The original press release does not use a “z date” format for time stamping, so I ask which file is DPS referring to? The one modified on 23/04/12 or the original that does not include the “z date” formatting? (I have included the original file that was emailed out before the press release that has passed on from a journalist to myself)

No other files around the time this was created exhibit the same symptoms, if APH does indeed use UTC on all the computers this would be easily replicated. Why is this not the case?

When DPS notes that this was a “technical problem”, where is it arising from?

Tony Abbott’s office advised on 13/12/12 that they were aware of the problem in April 2012, yet DPS does not seem to have known about the problem until 13/12/12. Can DPS please confirm that this has been a continual problem?

This
time it’s @AshbySlipperwho says “Since @TonyAbbottMHR hasn't had
time to read the judgement, I thought I'd tweet it to him. One line at a time.”

The beginning of this Tweetathon in reverse order:

@AshbySlipper
.@TonyAbbottMHR suggested that he was planning to use the record of his texts with Mr Slipper to empower others in a way that would affect
@AshbySlipper
.@TonyAbbottMHR contemporaneous texts with his friends, of Mr Ashby feeling upset as a result of sexual harassment. Rather those texts
@AshbySlipper
.@TonyAbbottMHR Ashby went to see Mark McArdle, a senior frontbencher in the then Queensland State LNP opposition. There was no hint, in
@AshbySlipper
.@TonyAbbottMHR "closer", and hence sexual, relationship. Mr Ashby rebuffed whatever the proposed closer relationship was. The next day Mr @AshbySlipper
.@TonyAbbottMHR text messages with Mr Slipper. That exchange could be read as conveying a proposal by Mr Slipper that the two have a
@AshbySlipper
.@TonyAbbottMHR pages of Mr Ashby's text messages with Mr Slipper and many other people. On 1 February 2012, Mr Ashby had an exchange of

Friday, 21 December 2012

It would appear that there is no tier of Australian government that is not intent on recording as much as possible about the lives and activities of its constituents.

On this occasion it is Clarence Valley Council, intent on encouraging the installation of CCTV cameras in the predominately small business districts scattered along the length of the river, and being this particular council, once again not asking residents using these streets whether or not they wish to shop, pay their bills or have a coffee under the gaze of one or more 27/7 street spies.

An innovative program funded by Clarence Valley Council will provide local businesses with financial support to install CCTV.

The program is focused on addressing crimes, including vandalism, graffiti and break and enter, throughout the Valley.

"While we must keep in mind that our levels of these crimes are relatively low in comparison with other areas, there are some concerning incidents of crime happening locally which the business community and council are rightly concerned about." said the Mayor, Richie Williamson.

"This program will work hand in hand with other council and community strategies that target crime."

The program was developed after a series of consultations with NSW Police and the local business community…

So with Clarence Valley Council intent on encouraging private business to intrude on our everyday lives, is there likely to be any real and lasting benefit from the Big Brother effect?

Apparently not:

Though billions of dollars are being spent world wide on CCTV systems, there is actually little evidence as yet of the success of CCTV to combat or deter crime or its cost effectiveness in doing so..

CCTV was found to have no significant impact on total offences, total offences against property (including other theft (excluding unlawful

entry), unlawful entry, other property damage, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and handling stolen goods) and total other offences (including drug offences, liquor (excluding drunkenness)) occurring in Surfers Paradise. Findings from Broadbeach indicated that CCTV had no impact on total offences or total offences against property (including other theft (excluding unlawful entry) and other property damage).[Bond University Humanities & Social Sciences papers 2006]

The American studies that met the criteria for the meta-analysis generally showed worse outcomes that those in the UK, showing an undesirable or null effect on crime….

Regarding violent crime, there appeared to be no statistically significant change in the level of crime anywhere in the 500 foot range around the cameras. [American Civil Liberties Union]

But before we rush to put all of Melbourne under surveillance, we should heed the example of Britain, which, in the past 20 years has spent billions of dollars on more than a million CCTV cameras across its cities, yet still has one of the highest crime rates in Europe.

Indeed, four years ago the policeman in charge of monitoring London's massive CCTV network described it as "an utter fiasco" that was responsible for solving only 3 per cent of crimes.

Detective Chief Insp Mick Neville said that police often avoided trawling through CCTV images "because it's hard work" and he believed criminals had no fear of CCTV.

The marginal effectiveness of CCTV in preventing crime has been well known for at least a decade. In 2002 a British Home Office review of studies into the effectiveness of CCTV in preventing crime found the overall reduction in crime in areas with CCTV was only 4 per cent. Half the studies examined showed CCTV had no effect on crime at all, and all showed it had no effect on violent crime.[The Herald Sun 28 September 2012]

The deputy director of the Sydney Institute of Criminology, Garner Clancey, says it is ''absolutely'' possible to move around the city without being caught on camera but most trips will be captured dozens if not hundreds of times.

However, there are questions over whether the huge costs to councils and the impositions on citizens' privacy are justified in an era when crime rates are falling.

''Crimes like motor vehicle theft and burglaries are falling,'' he said. ''Do we then say there's a point where cameras aren't cost-effective so we turn them off?

''Some of the crimes that have been increasing are around domestic violence where technologies like this will never have any impact so it's a difficult balancing act.'' [The Sydney Morning Herald 26 October 2012]

Thursday, 20 December 2012

As always, we at NCV are willing to take advice about matters we don't get right.Whilst travelling away from the local area one of the lads from the table of knowledge has informed me that yesterday a letter to the editor of the local paper (The Daily Examiner) appeared above the name of an 'Ian Causley', but no address appeared. Now, how could that have happened?Is the letter writer a local, a legend in his own lunch time, or a visitor from who-knows-where?Unhappy at coverageI am very disappointed with the reporting by The Daily Examiner in regard to ,,, Ian Causley

These are the reported words of one Peter Henderson, identified as the CEO of Metgasco.

He was described as not mincing his words and while he may not have been mincing his words he was effectively mincing the truth in so far as he spoke of ‘lawless vigilantes’ taking unjustified action.

I was the ‘police liaison person’ on that day. I am not a lawless vigilante. I am a retired Probation and Parole Office now working peacefully as a Tea Tree Farmer within the small water catchment where Metgasco have begun their ‘activities’. My wife and I are long-term residents here and live just 1300 metres from the drilling site.

To describe me, or the gathering of people, of whom Deb Whitely was one, as ‘lawless vigilantes’ is simply wrong and offensive as well. In using these words Mr Henderson should realise that he is not endearing himself or Metgasco to the general public. While his non-mincing of words may appeal to some, it is a losing strategy among those who give genuine thought to the implications of Metgasco’s activities in this area and elsewhere.

Mr Henderson was not an eye-witness to the events of that day. He was not in the vicinity. He has relied on hearsay and that hearsay is wrong.

I also take issue with these words in the news report:

‘… while frustrated contractors looked on in disgust’.

An interview with the contractor who drove the truck to which Deb Whitely locked on may well give a different picture. May I suggest that someone from the media actually ask him. Ask him also if he intends to continue doing contract work for Metgasco after his experience on that day, which included meeting in a friendly atmosphere with some of the ‘lawless vigilante’ ladies who brought him a cup of tea while he sat for three and more hours in his truck. I believe that they were some of the ‘Knitting Nannas’ from Grafton. Hardly lawless vigilantes!

I spoke to the police a number of times on that day as ‘liaison person’. Every police officer was courteous to the people present in the difficult circumstances of such a gathering. The people too were co-operative with police yet stood their ground within the law. There were no arrests of ‘lawless vigilantes’.

Mr Henderson’s ill-chosen words do him no credit and are offensive to the people present on that day including Deb Whitley and by implication represents a serious criticism of the police for failing to deal with ‘lawless vigilantes’.

Let Deb Whitley’s words be heard:

‘It’s an extreme measure and I don’t know if it would be the best way but it seems like we have no choice, because we don’t seem to be heard by the government, or by Metgasco, or by mining companies about our fears in the area.’

I have expressed my views on the above to the ABC but I think it is an important enough issue to be brought to the attention of your readers, many of whom, I expect, take notice of the ABC. I believe that the general public should be informed of facts in relation to the happenings of that day and the activities of coal-seam gas companies in general.

Google's search engine is probably still the most popular method to look for information on the Internet and Google Trends is often a window into what Australians are searching for.
Here are four graphs created in December 2012 broadly covering general interests, selected Australian identities and terms covering some of this year's topical subjects:

Tuesday, 18 December 2012

Even though Hospital Performance 2012 shows New South Wales has some of the longest emergency department waiting times in the country and the Healthcare in Focus 2012 report indicates thatwe are more likely to die than our metropolitan cousins within a month of public hospital treatment for heart attack or stroke in regional NSW, it appears that the majority of patients are relatively satisfied with the care they received as outpatients.

A political decision was made by the O’Farrell Government to use the NSW public service as a cost cutting measure in the face of a 2011-12 budget deficit that wasn’t.

One of the local casualties was Grafton Gaol and its staff.

The Daily Examiner has taken a disapproving tone towards unspecified politicizing during NSW Legislative Council Select Committee into the Closure or Downsizing of Corrective Services NSW Facilities hearings:

I didn’t attend any of the Inquiry hearings to date so I have no idea how many speakers giving evidence mentioned the political background and, as the Grafton hearing transcript has still not been posted online I remain unenlightened.However, what the Sydney hearing transcript shows is that one member of the select committee, Liberal Party MP David Clarke, appears to be more inclined to put the O'Farrell Government's case for the gaol closure than to seek to understand how this closure unfolded.One has to wonder if this attitude continued once the Select Committee came to the Clarence Valley.

I do have a transcript of this speech from the 10 December 2012 Grafton public forum which accompanied that day’s hearing and readers can make up their own minds as to the legitimacy or otherwise of addressing the politics behind the gaol closure:

Firstly, I would like to thank the NSW Legislative Council for holding this Inquiry and for coming to the City of Grafton today to get an on-the-ground appreciation of how important an institution Grafton Gaol has been to the local economy and social fabric of the Clarence Valley.

A little over a year ago, I was fighting a by-election as the Country Labor candidate for Clarence, and one of my campaign issues was to warn of the possible privatisation or closure of Grafton Gaol.

My submission to this inquiry, written on behalf of Country Labor’s Grafton and Lower Clarence branches, outlines how this wasn’t hot air; we ended up with an effective closure, forced through without consultation.

This inquiry hopefully will put the downsizing of Grafton Gaol into some Statewide context and give Graftonians some answers to their questions about why this most political of decisions was made.

The people never accepted this decision and instinctively rallied to protest against it, in a way seldom witnessed in such a traditionally conservative rural area.

I pay tribute to the real heroes of the six-day picket outside the gates of the gaol -- those folk of all ages and backgrounds who came out of their homes and camped out to defy the powers that be, and keep a vigil over their gaol.

This decision came from Sydney; Corrective Services senior management had wanted to break up the culture of Grafton Gaol (whatever that meant), and this was a convenient fit with the Liberals ideological slashing of State public service jobs.

What would Grafton-born Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page – founder of the old Country Party and Australia’s 11th Prime Minister – have thought of the National Party’s weak capitulation to the Sydney Liberals’ agenda?

Sir Earle was a conviction politician; he harboured the northerners' resentment of the 'Sydney octopus' and the Page family had been active in calls for a new State.

In January 1915, Sir Earle launched what became the Northern New South Wales Separation League in Grafton and in a grassroots network, formed more than 20 local branches.

He argued that metropolitan interests had stunted northern growth. The New State movement did not prevail, but its spirit lives on from time to time. It did in the people’s picket line.

The State Member for Clarence's evidence to this inquiry in Sydney and his recent comments to The Daily Examiner are unconvincing and smack of revisionism.

Regardless of when the MP was told of the plan to axe ‘x’ number of local jobs, he should have instinctively known that the right thing to do was to fight for those jobs.

Instead, he was quite prepared to sell out Grafton. Remember when this fellow was Mayor of Maclean Shire Council, he denigrated Grafton City Council when it suited his political campaign against council amalgamation.

And what can one make of the State Member for Clarence’s quote: “I was in the middle of an accident. It was an exceptional set of circumstances and everyone was on holidays, including the Premier.”

The electorate was looking for exceptional leadership, but it wasn’t to be found.

And the leaders of the Nationals, the party that so many of the electorate voted for in March 2011, were absent and silent as this betrayal of the bush was played out.

13 In the decision granting leave for the complaint to proceed, the Tribunal characterised the complaint as relating to three comments made by Alan Jones (AJ): Ekermawi v Jones and Harbour Radio Pty Ltd t/as Radio 2 GB [2010] NSWADT 262at [3]. Those comments are italicised. The immediate context is also included.

First comment

P: The police obviously can't or won't do anything about it. The politicians are not listening to us as usual. If need be, mate, I'll get babysitters for my kids on Sunday and I'll be down there.

AJ: OK. Now, let me tell you, P, let me just say this to you because - you know I'm the person that's led this charge here. Nobody wanted to know about North Cronulla. Now, it's gathered to this, we really have to be hands off here we don't want a situation whereby there's open warfare between people calling themselves Aussie whites and people calling themselves Lebs or whatever. We have at least alerted the government.

Second comment

AJ: And the text message urges Aussies yesterday to take revenge and Lebs and wogs. Now it's got pretty nasty when you start talking like this. It says, "Come to Cronulla this weekend to take revenge. This Sunday every Aussie in the Shire get down to North Cronulla to support the Leb and wog bashing day . . ."

I do understand what people are saying, let's give the police a chance to do the job. And I can understand the young blokes who've sent that text message yesterday, "Come to Cronulla this weekend to take revenge", it says. "This Sunday every Aussie in the Shire get down to North Cronulla to support the Leb and wog bashing day, bring your mates, let's show them that this is our beach and they're never welcome." Well, now that's not the way, I do understand what you're saying, P, but we've just got to back off a bit here. We're not giving any ground to them. I'm saying backing off and letting, backing off and let the police do the job.

Third comment

AJ: Yeah, well I've got, I've got a stack of emails in front of me, let me read you this one, "Alan, its not just a few Middle Eastern bastards at the weekend, its thousands. Cronulla is a very long beach and it's been taken over by this scum. It's not a few causing trouble. It's all of them, it's an attitude that you feel whenever you go there, it's just straight out racism against the skippies, it will not go away, the police have their hands tied - I'll come to that later in the program - reduce numbers and powers, I wish there was an answer".

OUR elected representatives appear to have no understanding of the meaning of the word democracy, flippantly rejecting public concerns about coal seam gas mining and the climate consequences of burning it.

Fortunately some media outlets are prepared to publish opinion pieces based on the solid evidence that is available, and bring the facts to the public.

On December 4, The Guardian's George Monbiot summed up the issue with the following comment -

"Preventing climate breakdown - the four, five or six degrees of warming now predicted for this century by green extremists like, er, the World Bank, the International Energy Agency and PriceWaterhouseCoopers - means confronting the oil, gas and coal industry. It means forcing that industry to abandon the four-fifths or more of fossil fuel reserves that we cannot afford to burn. It means cancelling the prospecting and development of new reserves".

At Wednesday's meeting in Lismore, local member Thomas George and minister Brad Hazzard were left in no doubt as to the general public's thought about the way their concerns have been scornfully dismissed.

One lady's statement registered with me above many others: "What I struggle to understand is why my property has to be trashed to provide cheap fuel for China," she said.

As I left the Lismore venue an elderly man told me: "You have no idea how intrusive this bloody awful industry is. I've got a cluster of four wells grouped within metres of each other, just 210m from my home. They were all drilled at different times and the constant noise of drilling went on, 24/7, for months on end. That was followed by diesel motors rattling away for years to drive the pumps.

"It's just endless and we can't get away from it. Yet planes have to stop running overnight, and we can't mow our lawns before 7am on a Sunday because of the noise."

This is what Glenugie residents will have to put up with if Metgasco finds a viable gas resource at The Avenue drill site.

So is it any wonder the workers have been met with abuse and opposition?

Sunday, 16 December 2012

In recent years the number of press releases (often published almost verbatim with source unattributed) masquerading as news articles has been steadily growing in Australian mainstream media generally and in Northern Rivers media in particular.

With little or no critical evaluation of the contents of these releases finding its way into print and journalistic opinion frequently being substituted for investigation; sometimes by the time one reaches page five of any newspaper it almost feels as if the proprietor should be paying readers and not the other way round.

With another $25 million in cost cutting scheduled for 2013, it is hard to see how regional newspapers like The Daily Examiner and The Northern Star will be able to resist the temptation to pad their daily issues even further with the viewpoint of political and industry interests churned out in cost-free publishable form by people paid to further party or corporate agendas.

It’s becoming harder and harder to believe that print media has a legitimate future as it begins a slow devolution in the direction of 17th Century propaganda sheets.

This is an image of Australia at night, created by Canadian scientist Felix Pharand-Deschênes:

According to The Climate Group, between 30 November - 6 December
2012 the combined greenhouse gas emissions of NSW, Vic, Qld, SA and Tas were 33 per cent above 1990 levels. Electricity from coal this year to date produced1.058million tonnes CO2e in these five states.How much of the light intensity in this picture would be reduced if Australian businesses turned off all those unnecessary, electrical advertising and architectural lights which blaze from their buildings each night?

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
[Adopted and proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948]

NSW North Coast

Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Moggy Musings

Hi! My name is Boy. I'm a male bi-coloured tabby cat. Ever since I discovered that Malcolm Turnbull's dogs were allowed to blog, I have been pestering Clarencegirl to allow me a small space on North Coast Voices.

A false flag musing: I have noticed one particular voice on Facebook which is Pollyanna-positive on the subject of the Port of Yamba becoming a designated cruise ship destination. What this gentleman doesn’t disclose is that, as a principal of Middle Star Pty Ltd, he could be thought to have a potential pecuniary interest due to the fact that this corporation (which has had an office in Grafton since 2012) provides consultancy services and tourismbusiness development services.

A religion & local government musing: On 11 October 2017 Clarence Valley Council has the Church of Jesus Christ Development Fund Inc in Sutherland Local Court No. 6 for a small claims hearing. It would appear that there may be a little issue in rendering unto Caesar. On 19 September 2017 an ordained minister of a religion (which was named by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in relation to 40 instances of historical child sexual abuse on the NSW North Coast) read the Opening Prayer at Council’s ordinary monthly meeting. Earlier in the year an ordained minister (from a church network alleged to have supported an overseas orphanage closed because of child abuse claims in 2013) read the Opening Prayer and an ordained minister (belonging to yet another church network accused of ignoring child sexual abuse in the US and racism in South Africa) read the Opening Prayer at yet another ordinary monthly meeting. Nice one councillors - you are covering yourselves with glory!

An investigative musing: Newcastle Herald, 12 August 2017: The state’s corruption watchdog has been asked to investigate the finances of the Awabakal Aboriginal Local Land Council, less than 12 months after the troubled organisation was placed into administration by the state government. The Newcastle Herald understands accounting firm PKF Lawler made the decision to refer the land council to the Independent Commission Against Corruption after discovering a number of irregularities during an audit of its financial statements.The results of the audit were recently presented to a meeting of Awabakal members. Administrator Terry Lawler did not respond when contacted by the Herald and a PKF Lawler spokesperson said it was unable to comment on the matter. Given the intricate web of company relationships that existed with at least one former board member it is not outside the realms of possibility that, if ICAC accepts this referral, then United Land Councils Limited (registered New Zealand) and United First Peoples Syndications Pty Ltd(registered Australia) might be interviewed. North Coast Voices readers will remember that on 15 August 2015 representatives of these two companied gave evidence before NSW Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No. 6 INQUIRY INTO CROWN LAND. This evidence included advocating for a Yamba mega port.

A Nationals musing: Word around the traps is that NSW Nats MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis has been talking up the notion of cruise ships visiting the Clarence River estuary. Fair dinkum! That man can be guaranteed to run with any bad idea put to him. I'm sure one or more cruise ships moored in the main navigation channel on a regular basis for one, two or three days is something other regular river users will really welcome. *pause for appreciation of irony* The draft of the smallest of the smaller cruise vessels is 3 metres and it would only stay safely afloat in that channel. Even the Yamba-Iluka ferry has been known to get momentarily stuck in silt/sand from time to time in Yamba Bay and even a very small cruise ship wouldn't be able to safely enter and exit Iluka Bay. You can bet your bottom dollar operators of cruise lines would soon be calling for dredging at the approach to the river mouth - and you know how well that goes down with the local residents.

A local councils musing: Which Northern Rivers council is on a low-key NSW Office of Local Government watch list courtesy of feet dragging by a past general manager?

A serial pest musing: I'm sure the Clarence Valley was thrilled to find that a well-known fantasist is active once again in the wee small hours of the morning treading a well-worn path of accusations involving police, local business owners and others.

An investigative musing: Which NSW North Coast council is batting to have the longest running code of conduct complaint investigation on record?

A which bank? musing: Despite a net profit last year of $9,227 million the Commonwealth Bank still insists on paying below Centrelink deeming rates interest on money held in Pensioner Security Accounts. One local wag says he’s waiting for the first bill from the bank charging him for the privilege of keeping his pension dollars at that bank.

A Daily Examiner musing: Just when you thought this newspaper could sink no lower under News Corp management, it continues to give column space to Andrew Bolt.

A thought to ponder musing: In case of bushfire or flood - do you have an emergency evacuation plan for the family pet?

An adoption musing: Every week on the NSW North Coast a number of cats and dogs find themselves without a home. If you want to do your bit and give one bundle of joy a new family, contact Happy Paws on 0419 404 766 or your local council pound.